System for assisting preparation of medical-image reading reports

ABSTRACT

A report-data collecting unit retrieves and collects a character string in accordance with the prescribed character-string retrieval condition and the character string of annotation data. An image data display unit displays the character string and a list showing a medical image referred to while the object is being photographed. When the user selects the character string by designating the medical image shown in the list, both the character string and the medical image are associated by an image-data acquisition/process unit and then pasted at a prescribed position in a medical-image reading report preparation screen. Further, the data representing the medical image thus pasted is archived in an image database.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromprior Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-109322, filed Apr. 18, 2008,the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a medical information system. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a system for assistingpreparation of medical-image reading reports, for use in medical-imagediagnosis workstations and image-diagnosis report preparation systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

To date, systems such as a medical-image diagnosis apparatus, amedical-image archiving apparatus, a medical-image diagnosisworkstation, and an image-diagnosis report preparation system have beenused. In such systems, reports are prepared as is known in the art. Eachreport consists of several medical images (key images) and text-dataitems (character strings), each associated with one medical image (see,for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005-301453).

Any user of the system can prepare and archive a report that consistsof, as described above, text items and medical images associated withthe respective images. However, it takes the user much time and labor toprepare a report, because he or she needs to input text-data items andassociate each text-data item with the corresponding medical image.

More specifically, the user must i) input a text-data item even if he orshe has input it before, ii) paste a key image again, if necessary, tothe text-data item thus input, and iii) correct, if necessary, thetext-data item to which the image has been pasted. Inputting thetext-data item again lowers the efficiency of preparing the report.Pasting the key image again to the text-data item reduces the efficiencyof reading images. Correcting the text-data items having a key imagepasted to it requires complicated manual work.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a system forassisting preparation of medical-image reading reports, which cancollect text-data items to which key images should be pasted and imagesassociated with these text-data items, can manage the text-data itemsand the images, thus collected, and can easily acquire akey-image/text-data candidate containing key-image data, whenevernecessary.

A system for assisting preparation of medical-image reading reports,according to this invention, comprises: a medical-image storage unitarchiving medical-image data; a medical-image reading report storageunit archiving a medical-image reading report; a collection unitconfigured to collect a character string of annotation data contained inthe medical-image data or a character string associated with the medicalimage in the medical-image reading report, or both, from themedical-image storage unit or the medical-image reading report storageunit, or from both; a display unit configured to display themedical-image reading table or a reference image, or both, on a displayscreen; a display control unit configured to cause the display unit todisplay, at the same time, the medical image referred to whilephotographing an object and a list showing the character string; aselection unit configured to restrict the selection of the characterstring collected; an association unit configured to cause the selectionunit to select a desired character string from the list, therebyassociating the character string selected with the medical image; aninput unit configured to insert the character string and the medicalimage associated to each other by the association unit, at a prescribedposition on a report preparation screen, thereby preparing themedical-image reading report; and a data archiving unit configured toarchive the image data representing the medical image associated withthe character string inserted.

Another system for assisting preparation of medical-image readingreports, according to this invention, comprises: a medical-image storageunit archiving medical-image data; a medical-image reading reportstorage unit archiving a medical-image reading report; a collection unitconfigured to collect, under a specific condition, a character string ofannotation data contained in the medical-image data or a characterstring associated with the medical image in the medical-image readingreport, or both, from the medical-image storage unit or themedical-image reading report storage unit, or from both; a display unitconfigured to display an medical image of an object, a medical-imagereading report about bout the medical image, and the character stringcollected by the collection unit; a selection unit configured to selecta desired character train from the character train displayed by thedisplay unit; and an edition unit configured to input the characterstring selected, to the medical-image reading report displayed by thedisplay unit and to associate the medical-image reading report with thecharacter string input.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectsand advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means ofthe instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed outhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, andtogether with the general description given above and the detaileddescription of the embodiments given below, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a medicaldata system according to an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system 18 forassisting preparation of medical-image reading reports, which is shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart explaining how the medical data system operates tocollect character strings;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing some images that a viewer 70 may display;

FIG. 5 is a table showing examples of annotation character-string dataitems collected;

FIG. 6 is a table showing examples of hyperlinked character-string dataitems collected;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing exemplary images for use in confirmingimages associated with hyperlinked character strings;

FIG. 8 is a table showing the number of times the hyperlinked characterstrings collected are used, each of which is displayed as a displaycondition;

FIG. 9 shows an example of a character-string list displayed; and

FIG. 10 is table showing exemplary image data items that are containedin the respective hyperlinked character strings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a medicaldata system 10 according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the medical data system 10 comprises a medical-imagephotography apparatus 12, a medical-image storage apparatus 14, amedical-image observation apparatus 16, and a system 18 for assisting inpreparation of a medical report. These apparatuses are connected by acommunication line (LAN) 20 to communicate with each other. Themedical-image photography apparatus 12 photographs, for example, theinterior of a subject and generates image data (medical-image data). Theimage data generated will be used later in preparation of amedical-image reading report. The medical-image photography apparatus 12is, for example, an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus, an endoscopeapparatus, an endoscope apparatus, an X-ray diagnosis apparatus, a CTapparatus, or an MRI apparatus. The image photographed is converted todigital image data of the DICOM format and transmitted to themedical-image storage apparatus 14.

The medical-image storage apparatus 14 has a medical-image datamanagement unit 14 a, a database 14 b, and an archive area 14 c. In themedical-image storage apparatus 14, the medical-image data managementunit 14 a associates the medical-image data items acquired in themedical-image photography apparatus 12, with one another. Themedical-image data items are then compressed and stored in the database14 b and the archive area 14 c. The medical-image storage apparatus 14thus manages the medical-image data.

The medical-image observation apparatus 16 is configured to displayimages at a display such as a CRT. Observing and examining the imagesdisplayed, the user may diagnose the subject.

The system 18 for assisting in preparation of a medical report isdesigned to assist the user to prepare medical-image reading reports, onthe basis of the medical images displayed by the medical-imageobservation apparatus 16.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system 18(FIG. 1) for assisting in preparation of a medical report.

The system 18 for assisting in preparation of a medical report iscomposed mainly of a report unit 30, a server unit 40, and a viewer unit50.

The report unit 30 comprises a report-data display designation unit 32,a report-data preparation/registration unit 34, a report database (DB)36, and a report-data collection unit 38.

The report-data display designation unit 32 displays various data itemssuch as the report data requested for by the user, the report data beingprepared in the report-data preparation/registration unit 34, and thedata collected by the report-data collection unit 38. The report-datadisplay designation unit 32 can output image-display instructionsrequired in the process of displaying these various data items. If theuser has input image-display instructions, the report-data displaydesignation unit 32 may automatically output the image-displayinstructions selected from the linked data of the report. Further, thereport-data display designation unit 32 can appropriately process ahyperlinked character string, if any, transmitted from an image-datadisplay unit 58, which will be described later.

The report-data preparation/registration unit 34 manages the report databeing processed to prepare a medical report. Any medical report preparedis transferred from report-data preparation/registration unit 34 to thereport database 36. The report database 36 is a database configured toarchive and manage report data items generated in the report-datapreparation/registration unit 34. The report-data collection unit 38 isdesigned to collect and distribute any past report data items that arerequired, and to collect character/image-linked data items (representingthe relation between character strings and images). The report-datacollection unit 38 characterizes the present embodiment.

The server unit 40 comprises an image-data reception unit 42, a dataarchiving unit 44, an image database (DB) 46, and a data distributionunit 48 for distributing archived data.

The image-data reception unit 42 receives the image data coming from anexternal modality apparatus 60. The unit 42 then appropriately processesand archives the image data into the image database 46 and appropriatelyprocesses and archives the data accompanying the image data into thedata archiving unit 44. The data archiving unit 44 receives the dataaccompanying the image data and associated with the image data, i.e.,character strings (including character strings associated with variousdata items such as report-SINR data, key-image data, and pasted image).The data archiving unit 44 writes or archives the character strings inan appropriate archive area. If the archive area archiving the characterstrings is deleted or changed, the data archiving unit 44 communicateswith the image database 46 and corrects the data representing thearchive area. The data archiving unit 44 is equivalent to a plurality ofHDDs, NASs or the like.

The image database 46 archives and manages data that requires thehigh-speed access of the data accompanying the image data received fromthe image-data reception unit 42. The archived-data distribution unit 48collects the image requested for at any device, and distributes theimage to the device.

The viewer unit 50 mentioned above has an image-data display instructionunit 52, an image-data acquisition unit 54, an image-dataacquisition/process unit 56, and an image data display unit 58.

The image-data display instruction unit 52 instructs the image-dataacquisition unit 54 to collect image data in accordance with theinstruction given by the report-data display designation unit 32. Inresponse to the instruction coming from the image-data displayinstruction unit 52, the image-data acquisition unit 54 collectsnecessary image data items and supplies the image data items to theimage-data acquisition/process unit 56. The image-data acquisition unit54 further acquires the annotation data accompanying the image, thuscollecting the character string and the image constituting theannotation data (also collecting the data representing the relationbetween the character string and the image).

The image-data acquisition/process unit 56 receives data items from theimage-data acquisition unit 54 and arranges these data items in order.The data items orderly arranged are sent from the image-dataacquisition/process unit 56 to the image data display unit 58. Theimage-data acquisition/process unit 56 causes the image data displayunit 58 to display only a group of images extracted and related to thecharacter string so that these images may be corrected. Thus, an imagerelated to any one of these images displayed can be added, corrected ordeleted. Further, the image-data acquisition/process unit 56 demands forany list processed, sending the data required for generating thecharacter string that should be pasted to a medical-image reading reportand for combining the character string with the image associated withthe character string, to the image data display unit 58.

The image data display unit 58 displays the image data and the list sentfrom the image-data acquisition/process unit 56, in accordance with adisplay instruction. Further, the image data display unit 58 suppliesthe report unit 30 with the data that should be transferred, as ahyperlinked character string, to the report unit 30.

How the medical data system 10 constituted as described above collectscharacter strings will be explained with reference to the flowchart ofFIG. 3.

To enable the user to prepare a medical-image reading report, the imagedata display unit 58 provided in the viewer unit 50 of the system 18displays a report preparation screen and a reference medial image. Theuser operates, in most cases, a keyboard and/or a pointing device (e.g.,mouse) to input text items that should be written in any medical-imagereading report. Alternatively, the user may select and designate any oneof data items registered beforehand, thereby to input the data itemselected and designated.

The image data display unit 58 constitutes a viewer 70, which has ascreen 72. The screen 72 shows such a medical-image reading report asshown in FIG. 4. Character strings, i.e., comments on medical images,which the user has input, are arranged in the dedicated columns providedon the medical-image reading report. The character-string data items,e.g., hyperlinked data items or annotation data items are thencollected. The report-data display designation unit 32 links the dataitems collected to a specific character string (Step S1). For example,the user moves the cursor to the character string displayed on thereport preparation screen 72, designating the character string as one tobe linked. Then, the user moves the cursor to one of the selectionbuttons 722 displayed on the screen 72, thus selecting a desired mode,for example the mode of collecting the character string designated.

At this point, whether the data about the character string collectedexists is determined (Step S2). If the data exists, the character stringis displayed in the lower part of the screen 72, as a list 724 of anappropriate form (see FIG. 9) (Step S3). The data of the reports made inthe past are collected and distributed by the report-data collectionunit 38. The report-data collection unit 38 also collects thecharacter-string data (later described) and the image data, which shouldbe linked to each other (to record the relation between them).

The report-data collection unit 38 manages the character strings of theannotation data items for the medical images of the same subject, whichwere photographed in the past, and the character strings associated withthe annotation data items for a plurality of medical images examined inthe past. Further, if the modality, the examined part of the subject,and the site identical to a key image acquired in the past are knownfrom the specific related data (DICOM-accompanying data, etc.) underparticular conditions, the character string concerned is collected andmanaged on the basis of the photographing site.

The report-data display designation unit 32 displays the report datarequested by the user, the report data being prepared and thecharacter-string data collected by the report-data collection unit 38.

Thereafter, in Step S4, the annotation character string selected, orhyperlinked character string selected, and, if necessary, the associatedimage are transmitted, as a data set, to the report-data displaydesignation unit 32. The character string and the image, thushyperlinked to each other in Step S4, are pasted to a prescribedposition on the report preparation screen. This position is one ofvarious choices including the user has preset, the end of a writtencomment and the end of the line pointed by the cursor.

At the time of photographing an object, acquiring an image, a mark maybe put to the image associated with the above-mentioned characterstring, indicating the content of the image. For example, color, frame746, a character string 748, or the like may be displayed in the imageassociated with the character string collected and referred to on ascreen 74 shown in FIG. 4. Thus, any hyperlinked image may bedistinguished from images not hyperlinked.

If no data about the character string collected exists (if No in StepS2), nothing is displayed in the screen 72 (Step S5).

The sequence is thus terminated.

The report-data preparation/registration unit 34 manages the report databeing prepared, which the report-data display designation unit 32displays. The report data completely prepared is sent to the reportdatabase 36 and managed in the report database 36.

How the character string associated with the medical image is displayedwill be explained.

FIG. 5 shows examples of annotation character-string data items thathave been collected. Annotation character strings, such as “Previoustime” and “Pay attention!,” may be displayed. The annotation characterstrings are associated with conditions of “CT” and “If examined in thepast,” respectively.

Similarly, FIG. 6 shows examples of hyperlinked character-string dataitems collected. These data items represent character strings “Incomparison with the last CT examination result,” “In comparison with thelast MR examination result,” “This time, in comparison with the last CTexamination result and the penultimate MR examination result,” and soon. These character strings are associated with the display conditionsof “CT,” “If examined in the past,” and “If not examined in the past,”respectively.

The report-data display designation unit 32 generates a hyperlinkedcharacter string, i.e., the collected character string linked to theimage being observed at the time of photographing the object. Adifferent character string may be associated with the image beingcurrently displayed. This is because the character string that should belinked with the image being displayed may differ, depending on theattribute of the image being displayed at present. For example, anycharacter string pertaining to an MR image is not displayed because itneed not be displayed in the process of pasting a character string to aCT image. The condition for displaying hyperlinked character-string datathus changes. The character-string data may otherwise be collected inaccordance with the condition for displaying it.

FIG. 7 shows exemplary images for use in confirming images that areassociated with hyperlinked character strings. The exemplary images areassociated with such hyperlinked character strings as shown in FIG. 5.These images are displayed, each in association with a hyperlinkedcharacter string. Note that two images may correspond to one hyperlinkedcharacter string. Moreover, an image can be added, corrected or deletedif it is related to the group of images being displayed.

FIG. 8 shows the number of times the hyperlinked character stringscollected are used, each of which is displayed as a display condition.In this instance, the hyperlinked character strings available are: “Incomparison with the result of the last CT examination result,” “Incomparison with the last MR examination result, “In comparison with thelast CT examination result and the penultimate MR examination result,”and the like. Also, the numbers of times these character strings wereused in the past are displayed, which are “78 times,” “21 times” and “10times,” respectively. The numbers of use times are displayed in thedescending order.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a character-string list displayed in Step S3of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3. Items 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . areassociated, each with a character string and an image. These data itemsare displayed in the descending order of the number of uses.

The user may operate the mouse or the like, attaching a check mark tothe data item to hyperlink. Then, the desirable hyperlinked characterstring and the image, if any, associated with the hyperlinked characterstring are selected. In the case of the list shown in FIG. 9, thecharacter string of item 2 is selected.

As pointed out above, a plurality of images, not one image, maycorrespond to one hyperlinked character string. Assume that there is ahyperlinked character string of, for example, “In comparison with thistime with the past.” Then, the list shows two images, one acquired atpresent, and the other acquired in the past. The two images will behyperlinked to the character string selected if the character string isselected. In other words, a plurality of images may be hyperlinked toany character string that has been selected. Alternatively, if aspecific image is hyperlinked to a character string, another specificimage may be hyperlinked to the same character string, too. If aspecific image is displayed on, for example, the screen 76, it may behyperlinked, always to an image acquired in the past.

FIG. 10 is table showing exemplary image data items that are containedin the respective hyperlinked character strings. As shown in FIG. 10,image paths are associated with respective image link data items,respectively.

In the process of preparing a report, for example, the user is lookingat the image just acquired and displayed on the screen 74, while writingcharacters in the medical-image reading report. To hyperlink the desiredimage to the character string being written, the user operates the mouseor the like, clicking the selection button 742 displayed on the screen74 and thereby selecting the desired mode. Then, the list 744 of FIG. 9,which contains the character-string data, is displayed in the lower partof the screen 72.

If the character-string data should be compared with character-stringdata acquired in the past, the image now displayed on the screen 74 andthe image acquired in the past and displayed on the screen 76 will behyperlinked together in the medical-image reading report.

Some images preceding an image hyperlinked to a certain character stringand some other images following this image may be preset in order torecognize the hyperlinked image in the process of preparing the report,so that the preceding images and the following images may be displayed.Alternatively, only images that can be preset as those that can behyperlinked to a certain character string may be read. In either case,the data about these images are collected, by adding annotations ormarks to the images, by clicking the images or by double-clicking theimages, and are then used as candidates that may be hyperlinked to thecharacter string. The candidate images to hyperlink to the characterstring may be displayed in a scroll bar as illustrated in FIG. 4.Further, data pasted and edited may be fed back and input, in real time,as a choice in the list.

Since character strings prepared beforehand are thus associated withmedical images, the character strings existing for use in reports can beutilized. That is, these character strings can be associated with themedical images, only if edited. This helps to increase the efficiency inpreparing medical-image reading reports.

In the embodiment described above, the server unit comprises a dataarchiving unit and an image database and a data distribution unit, eachused as data storage means for archiving medical-image data andmedical-image reading reports. Nonetheless, this invention is notlimited to this configuration. The medical-image data and themedical-image reading reports may be archived anywhere.

The present invention has been described with reference to anembodiment. The invention is not limited to the embodiment,nevertheless. Various changes and modifications can, of course, be madewithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Moreover, the embodiment described above pertains to various inventions.The components of the embodiment described above may be combined, ifnecessary, in appropriate ways, thereby to make different inventions.For example, some of the component of the embodiment may not be used orthe components of the embodiment may be combined to solve the problemsstated in the “Description of the Related Art.” The advantages describedin “BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION” may be attained even if somecomponents are omitted, thereby making an invention, too.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects isnot limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shownand described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventiveconcept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A system for assisting preparation of medical-image reading reports,comprising: a medical-image storage unit archiving medical-image data; amedical-image reading report storage unit archiving a medical-imagereading report; a collection unit configured to collect a characterstring of annotation data contained in the medical-image data or acharacter string associated with the medical image in the medical-imagereading report, or both, from the medical-image storage unit or themedical-image reading report storage unit, or from both; a display unitconfigured to display the medical-image reading report or a referenceimage, or both, on a display screen; a display control unit configuredto cause the display unit to display, at the same time, the medicalimage referred to while diagnostic reading and a list showing thecharacter string; a selection unit configured to restrict the selectionof the character string collected; an association unit configured tocause the selection unit to select a desired character string from thelist, thereby associating the character string selected with the medicalimage; an input unit configured to insert the character string and themedical image associated to each other by the association unit, at aprescribed position on a report preparation screen, thereby preparingthe medical-image reading report; and a data archiving unit configuredto archive the image data representing the medical image associated withthe character string inserted.
 2. The system according to claim 1,wherein the collection unit retrieves and collects a character stringassociated with a specific condition, in accordance with specificrelated data.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the displaycontrol unit changes the character string shown in the list, inaccordance with an attribute of the reference image being displayed, inorder to associate the reference image and the character string witheach other, both displayed by the display unit.
 4. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein the display control unit causes the display unit todisplay, in the list, only the image associated with the characterstring.
 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein while the displayunit is displaying the medical image associated with the characterstring collected, the display control unit causes the display unit todisplay the character train in the medical image.
 6. A system forassisting preparation of medical-image reading reports, comprising: amedical-image storage unit archiving medical-image data; a medical-imagereading report storage unit archiving a medical-image reading report; acollection unit configured to collect, under a specific condition, acharacter string of annotation data contained in the medical-image dataor a character string associated with the medical image in themedical-image reading report, or both, from the medical-image storageunit or the medical-image reading report storage unit, or from both; adisplay unit configured to display a medical image of an object, amedical-image reading report about the medical image, and the characterstring collected by the collection unit; a selection unit configured toselect a desired character string from the character string displayed bythe display unit; and an edition unit configured to input the characterstring selected, to the medical-image reading report displayed by thedisplay unit and to associate the medical-image reading report with thecharacter string input.
 7. The system according to claim 6, wherein aspecific condition is determined by attribute data about the medicalimage currently being displayed.
 8. A medical-image reading reportgenerating apparatus, comprising: a collection unit configured tocollect character strings of annotation data contained in medical-imagedata stored in a medical-image storage unit, or character stringsassociated with a medical image in a medical-image reading report, fromthe medical-image storage unit or a medical-image reading report storageunit; and a report-data display designation unit configured to associateone of the collected character strings desired by a user, with areference medical image, and to attach the associated character stringand the reference medical image to a preset portion of a medical-imagereading report generating image.
 9. A medical-image reading reportgenerating apparatus, comprising: a collection unit configured tocollect character strings of annotation data contained in a medicalimage, or character strings associated with the medical image in amedical-image reading report, from a medical-image storage unit or amedical-image reading report storage unit; a selection unit configuredto select one of the character strings desired by a user; and areport-data display designation unit configured to input the selectedcharacter string to the medical-image reading report and associate theselected character string with a reference medical image on a displayscreen.